Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re pretty sure you still have a favorite rom-com that you love to curl up on the sofa and watch.
So, with love in the air, we thought we’d investigate which rom-com is most popular in which state.
Some states are rom-com crazy
Out of all of the states, the ones that cropped up at the top of the list for more than one movie are Alaska, the District of Columbia, Maine, Utah, and Vermont.
Alaskans love nothing more than a classic. While You Were Sleeping, Enough Said, and Pretty in Pink are all popular there, as is the winner – The Proposal (which, as we see below, is set largely in Alaska). Meanwhile, in the District of Columbia, people can’t get enough of Hugh Grant with Notting Hill also being a popular choice alongside the winner, Four Weddings and a Funeral.
In Maine, Bridget Jones’s Diary is the clear favorite but was closely followed by the likes of Jerry Maguire, The Philadelphia Story, and Something’s Gotta Give. But in Utah, it’s those must-see modern classics that win the day, including Crazy, Stupid, Love, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Hitch, and the winner, Groundhog Day.
Finally, in Vermont, Christmas-y classics are the order of the day with both Love Actually and The Holiday being popular watches.
Some states can’t get enough of the classics
The majority of these rom-coms are from the past four decades, but there are also a handful of older classics that have made it to the top.
- His Girl Friday – Popular in Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina, His Girl Friday was released in 1940. It’s a screwball comedy featuring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant who play ex-husband and -wife. Grant (a newspaper editor called Walter Burns) tries to stop Russell (an investigative reporter called Hildy Johnson) from settling into domestic life with her new fiancé.
- Roman Holiday – A must-see in Virginia, Roman Holiday is a 1953 classic starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The movie sees Hepburn, a princess, running away to explore Rome before falling in love with American news reporter, Peck.
- Bringing Up Baby – Loved by those in Wisconsin, Bringing Up Baby is our oldest featured film. Released in 1938, it’s another screwball comedy with Cary Grant. But this one also features Katharine Hepburn as impulsive heiress, Susan Vance, who turns straightlaced scientist Huxley’s (Grant) world upside down.
Some states are keeping things close to home
A few states favored movies that were shot in their own backyard, including:
- Alaska for The Proposal: Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, The Proposal sees Margaret (Bullock), a New York editor, trying to convince Andrew (Reynolds) to marry her so he can receive a promotion (and she can fight off her imminent deportation to Canada). However, a trip to Andrew’s hometown (in Alaska), offers up a few surprises.
- California for Clueless: This coming-of-age movie which is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma has stood the test of time. Rich high-school girl, Cher (Alicia Silverstone), is coming to terms with adolescence and all it entails while helping a new student gain popularity.
- Illinois for Sixteen Candles: An 80s classic and another coming-of-age movie, Sixteen Candles stars Molly Ringwald who plays Samantha. Samantha’s parents ignore her, and her private quiz answer ends up in the wrong hands, making her “sweet” 16 becomes anything but.
- New York for When Harry Met Sally: Released in 1989, this iconic film features Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, and that infamous fake orgasm. It’s based on two college friends who try to figure out how they feel about one another when they are reunited several years after graduation.
- Pennsylvania for Silver Linings Playbook: The most modern movie of this bunch, Silver Linings Playbook is adapted from Matthew Quick’s novel. Featuring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (who won an Academy Award for her role), it follows Pat’s (Cooper) journey as he meets Tiffany (Lawrence) and tries to reconnect with his estranged wife.
- Washington for 10 Things I Hate About You: Based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, this rom-com from the late 90s stars Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger.
One thing’s for sure, there are enough rom-coms here to keep you busy way beyond Valentine’s Day…
Which is your favorite and why? Comment below!
Methodology
Using Google’s list of top romantic comedy movies, we searched each film individually on Google Trends to find which state scored the highest. The top result is the designated film for that state. If any state came up twice, we used the film that was more popular over the last 12 months. If a state didn’t appear top for any of the movies, we searched through all of the films to see which ones came out on top in that state.
